Gameday Preview: Texas Stars at San Antonio Rampage

          Texas Stars               San Antonio Rampage
8-7-1, 17 pts, .531      at      9-5-1, 19 pts, .633
#4 Pacific Division               #3 Pacific Division

November 18th at 7:00 PM
AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX

Playing the second game of this home-and-home set against the San Antonio Rampage, the Texas Stars took the first step in improving their poor record against their in-state rival this season on Wednesday night. They managed to eke out a 4-3 victory for their first win of the year against San Antonio after three tries. This game is the first of seven consecutive games on the road for the Stars.

For this particular matchup, they will have a fresher version of Jason Dickinson who didn't just step off of a plane onto the ice. The hyper-versatile winger was sent down by the Dallas Stars just in time for Wednesday night's game. Curtis McKenzie, the newly minted Texas captain, is coming off of a two goal game and a productive stretch of recent play. Look for Landon Bow, who has been pushing Mike McKenna for playing time as of late, to get the start in net tonight. Julius Honka has had a frustrating year and has yet to record a point in 13 professional games this year. He will be someone to keep an eye on as well.

As has been the case all season the Stars will be hamstrung by the AHL veteran rules and will have to strategically manage which veterans should see ice time. It's possible that Greg Rallo and/or Mark McNeill could draw into the lineup.

(Credit: San Antonio Rampage)
The Rampage are looking to improve upon their dominant play against the Stars this year, and keep them at bay while making a push in the Pacific division. Whenever they're in the lineup Samuel Blais and A.J. Greer are point per game players, along with the recently acquired Vladislav Kaminev. San Antonio heads out on the road for the rest of November, so they likely have this game pegged as a must win. The Stars are going to have their hands full but need to prove they can find some consistency against superior competition within their division.

Stars injury/call-up report:
Elie (call-up)
Fyten (injury)

Website: sarampage.com
Blog (unofficial): Runnin' With the Herd
Twitter: @SARampage
Twitter: @DanWeissPBP (play-by-play for SA)


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